Part of me is thinking—man, it’s so awesome that in the midst of all the media stereotypes and conservative Muslim notions of what “good women” should do and be that some women nonetheless refuse to be shut down. That they don’t feel that they somehow have to make do with the images that are already out there. That they can and will define themselves, and put their own representations of women like themselves out there.

But another part of me was disbelieving and, well… shocked, for lack of a better word. A hijabi gymnast? A “Guide to loving your body” that advises you to love, appreciate and take pride in your body with all its quirks, to even “get naked and take a good long look at your body. Trace your stretch marks, feel your hip bones poking out, place your hand over your tummy and take a fistful of yourself in….”

Needless to say, back in the ’80’s when I converted, such things were absolutely not accepted. And even though things seem to be getting better now in some parts of North America at least, I still find myself dealing with the after-effects of the ways that we were taught to see our bodies as Muslim women. I wonder if I will ever get beyond them.